Mulally hasn't denied reports that Microsoft is courting him. His name surfaced shortly after Ballmer announced his decision in August. The two are friends. Ballmer even spoke with Mulally over coffee about a wide-ranging reorganization that Microsoft announced in July.

Earlier this week Oracle President Mark Hurd said he's not planning to become the next Microsoft CEO.

Shares of Ford Motor Co. rose 26 cents to $17.78 in morning trading. The No. 2 U.S. automaker reported a record pretax profit of $2.6 billion for the third quarter, helped by improved results in its overseas operations.